BOZEMAN — Keeping an eye out for a lost dog or cat, that’s just called being neighborly—but when you spot a 5-foot python in your garden pot, that may be a little more than you bargained for.
"Lucille Ball" is a 17-year-old ball python that lives in Bozeman with her owner, Rae. Rae describes Lucille as a very friendly snake that hasn’t caused her any worry—that is, until move-out day.
“We relocated her to a different enclosure for the day,” Rae said. “She got a little curious and snuggled her way out of it. I went to grab her after a couple hours and she was just nowhere to be found.”
After combing the streets surrounding her home, Rae gave her neighbors a heads up and filed a report with the Bozeman Police Department before heading back in the moving truck.
“It’s one thing when your dog is missing, but when your snake—which is longer than you are—goes missing you wonder, what are people going to do when they see her," Rae said.
Lucille escaped Tuesday, August 2, and was found five days later on August 7 in a neighbor's garden pot.
“It was pretty funny because they were like, ‘She’s in the pot,’” Miles, Rae’s old roommate said. “I saw all these cop cars outside and they said, ‘Are you the snake boy?’”
Miles had only ever picked up Lucille once before but headed into the neighbor's garden to retrieve the sneaky snake from its hiding spot.
After a quick picture with the officers, Lucille was placed back in her tank and is waiting for her mom to come back to Bozeman to bring her home.
